8 Months

I have a picture post from California coming soon, but I wanted to let you all know what the boys are up to first:

*I have no idea how tall they are now but I'd guess they weigh about 19 to 19 1/2 pounds each. They definitely have thunder thighs and some extremely chubby cheeks that I can't resist kissing about a hundred times a day!

*Not crawling yet, but VERY close. Cullen can get up on his hands and knees and rock himself back and forth. He usually pushes himself backward while doing this and gets really frustrated since it's the opposite direction from where he wanted to go. I think that very soon here, that frustration will help him figure out how to crawl forward.

*Both boys roll all over the place! Neither of them have ever been big on rolling over, until they realized that they can move across the room by rolling. About a month ago they figured this out and have been rolling everywhere ever since. So, even though they're not crawling yet, they can still cross the room within seconds and wreak havoc if they want to. I have to keep an extra close eye on them nowadays. I learned this the hard way a few weeks ago when Jack rolled over to our floor lamp and pulled it down. The lamp itself is metal and plastic, but the lightbulb wasn't and it shattered everywhere. I am just so thankful that Cullen was in his bouncer at the time and wasn't hit by the falling lamp or glass shards. I had semi-babyproofed the room a few days earlier, but had never thought they could pull the lamp down. I have a babyproofing booklet now that lists out the bazillions of ways that kids could hurt themselves and I'm using that as a checklist in case anything else slips my mind.

*They're learning how to chew lately. I started giving them chunkier foods about a month ago and now they've moved onto small pieces of torn up bread and mushy fruits. My sister even bought them these baby cereal puffs that are like cheerios but break down and dissolve a little easier. At first they hated chewing and would spit out any big chunks, but now they're doing much better at it. They even figured out how to feed themselves the cereal pieces and they were so proud! The other night I put them both on the floor with a small pile of cereal and they ate the whole thing within 5 minutes!

*They are getting much better with their sippy cups too, they think they're toys and love drinking out of them. They haven't quite figured out that they have to tip their heads back and the cup up to drink so they still need help, but they have finally stopped gulping and choking on the liquid that comes out.

*Both boys babble alot but Cullen has really stepped it up. He now says 'baba' and 'dada' all the time. I told Brandon he must have missed him alot while we were in California because he kept shouting 'dadadada' the whole time!

*Still no signs of teeth! However they have been ultra fussy lately and I may be wrong but I think their teeth will be coming very soon. They gnaw on everything in sight too and their bites are getting harder and harder. I've got the Orajel and a few teething toys all ready for them whenever the time comes.

*They are getting so angry lately at being left alone even if I'm just across the room feeding their brother. They throw their heads back and start these long, pitiful, wailing cries. Then they instantaneously stop the second I come back and pick them up. I think it's one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

*They are soooo wiggly lately! Often, we'll be standing there talking to people and they'll throw themselves around in our arms. They're so hard to hang on to!

*They like to bounce in your arms too. They'll push off from your body and bounce themselves around no matter if you're standing or sitting or walking, they just want to be moving constantly. Jack loves to rock himself while he's sitting on the ground too.

*They're developing favorite toys. It used to be the Baby Einstein rattle and they fought over it so I had to go out and buy another "cool" toy: a set of very realistic looking keys. These keys even light up and make car sounds. This is the new favorite toy and they fight over it now. I decided it was a lost cause to go buy another toy only to have them fight over it instead and forget about the rattle and keys.

*They give "hugs" whenever I pick them up. They grab on so tightly and cuddle with me, I just love it!

*Still no separation anxiety. They don't mind a bit if we leave them with babysitters or in the church nursery. We've never had to be paged during the service, they usually love being in there with all the other babies.

*They're still super happy babies. They smile and laugh constantly. My favorite thing in the whole world is when they laugh at each other.